19GE5024Q0057 0001_Document (1).pdf

COMBINED SYNOPSIS & SOLICITATION

United States Embassy Beijing, China

Design, Supply, Delivery and Installation of

New Audiovisual System Equipment

SOLICITATION NO. 19GE5024Q0057

AMENDMENT 001

Issued by:

American Consulate General

Regional Procurement Support Office

Giessener Strasse 30

60435 Frankfurt am Main

Germany

September 12, 2024

Combined Synopsis and Solicitation

Solicitation Number 19GE5024Q0057

The American Consulate General Frankfurt hereby provides the following Combined Synopsis and Solicitation for:

Design, Supply, Delivery and Installation of New Audiovisual System Equipment on behalf of the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section, Beijing, China. All interested sellers shall review the solicitation and offer equipment in accordance with the specification provided in this document.

One or more of the items under this acquisition is subject to the World Trade Organization

Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements.

The evaluation of offers will be based on the Comparative Evaluation approach utilizing

FAR 13 procedures.

SYNOPSIS

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice.

This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; offers are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The solicitation number is 19GE5023Q0057 and is issued as a

Request for Quotations (RFQ), unless otherwise indicated herein.

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through

Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2024-05, effective May 22, 2024.

AMERICAN CONSULATE GENERAL

Regional Procurement Support Office

Giessener Strasse 30

60435 Frankfurt am Main

Germany

Tel: (49) 69 7535 3318

E-mail: CatsamakiJ@state.gov mailto:CatsamakiJ@state.gov

ACQUISITION METHOD AND EXTEND OF COMPETITION

This commercial acquisition is utilizing Simplified Acquisition Procedures. Competition is full and open, subject to WTO GPA guidelines.

CONTRACT TYPE

The Government intends to award a single, firm fixed-price contract to the responsible offeror whose offer is evaluated as the lowest-priced and technically acceptable. The total price shall include all labor, equipment, delivery charges, materials, overhead, profit, insurance, warranty, customs clearance, and all other expenses necessary to deliver the required supplies. No additional sums will be payable on account of any escalations in the cost of materials, equipment, or labor, or because of the Contractor’s failure to properly estimate or accurately predict the cost or difficulty of achieving the results required by this contract. Nor will the contract price be adjusted on account of fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

TERM OF CONTRACT

This ensuing contract shall be effective from the date of the Contracting Officer’s signature and shall remain valid until all items are received and accepted by the Government.

COMPLIANCE WITH SPECIFICATIONS

Offerors shall also provide with their offer, at a minimum, existing product literature substantiating the acceptability of their offered product in accordance with this solicitation’s specifications provided in the solicitation. Failure to provide this information will result in an

‘incomplete’ offer and removal from award consideration.

DESCRIPTIVE LITERATURE REQUIRED:

Definition: (a) "Descriptive literature" means information (e.g., cuts, illustrations, drawings and original manufacturers' brochures) that is submitted as part of an offer. Descriptive literature is required to establish, for the purpose of evaluation and award, details of the product offered that are specified elsewhere in the solicitation and pertain to significant elements such as (1) design;

(2) materials; (3) components; (4) performance characteristics; and (5) methods of manufacture, assembly, construction, or operation. The term includes only information required to determine the technical acceptability of the offered product. It does not include other information such as that used in determining the responsibility of a prospective contractor or for operating or maintaining equipment. (b) Descriptive literature must be (1) identified to show the item(s) of the offer to which it applies and (2) received by the time specified in this solicitation for receipt of offers. (c) Data displaying more than one model or size shall be clearly marked so as to indicate the specific item being offered. (d) Offers which do not present sufficient information to permit complete technical evaluation by the Government may be rejected. It is the offeror’s responsibility to prove that their proposed solution meets the requested specifications, subject to any limitations elsewhere in this solicitation.

OTHER SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

• The Contractor shall design, supply, deliver, and install new audiovisual system equipment and integrate it into the existing system for the Beijing American Center

(BAC) and Language and Resource Center (LARC), U.S. Embassy Beijing, Public

Affairs Section (PAS) in accordance with the statement of work/technical specifications, event scenarios at the BAC and LARC, and recommended equipment list, Attachments 4-

7, and terms and conditions set forth herein.

• Site Visit. An organized site visit to inspect the site where the work will be performed will be held on August 30, 2024 at 13:30 hours China Standard Time (CST) at the following address:

U.S. Embassy Beijing

Beijing American Center (BAC)

55 Anjialou Rd., Chaoyang

Beijing, 100600 China

Offerors interested to attend (encouraged) the site visit shall contact the Point of Contacts

(POCs), Ms. Xiaohong Yang at e-mail: YangXH@state.gov and Ms. Xiang Li at e-mail:

LiXX2@state.gov, U.S. Embassy Beiging, China and copy Ms. Joanna Catsamaki, RPSO

Contract Specialist at email: CatsamakiJ@state.gov no later than August 23, 2024 at

13:00 hours China Standard Time (CST) and provide the Name (in correct spelling as in the issued photo ID (National ID or Passport)), Phone number, Email address, Organization/Company, Citizenship, Passport/ID# and nationality of the Offerors representatives to the POCs to facilitate access to the Site Visit. Please use subject line:

RSVP 19GE5024Q0057, Audiovisual System Equipment Site Visit, Beijing, China.

The number of visitors is limited to three (3) per company. The United States

Government will not provide assistance with visas.

• The Offeror shall provide with its offer preliminary design drawings of an integrated audiovisual system and include a list of proposed equipment demonstrating its proposed solution based on its understanding of the site conditions following the Site Visit and all other specifications contained herein.

mailto:YangXH@state.gov mailto:LiXX2@state.gov

• If applicable, the Contractor shall comply with all import requirements mandated by the Government of China. Further, the Contractor shall provide all the necessary import documentation to Embassy’s Shipping Section.

• The Contractor shall obtain all necessary export licenses regardless of shipping method.

The Contractor shall state in its export license request that this is a U.S. government funded contract. The U.S. Government will neither provide import clearance assistance nor seek import duty exemption. The cost of customs clearance and import duties, if any, shall be included in the price.

• All offered power extension strips with outlets shall be compatible with the standard

China voltage 220VAC and 50Hz current frequency, NEMA type 6-10A.

• All manuals and literature shall be in the English.

BASIS OF PRICE

The price of all items shall include their transportation F.O.B. Destination to the designated delivery point in accordance with FAR 52.247-34. All or Nothing: The Government is allowing complete offers for all items. Offers failing to meet this condition may be rejected.

VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)

Value Added Tax (VAT). VAT is not included in the CLIN rates. If applicable, the contractor shall be responsible for paying to the appropriate authority the applicable rate of Value Added

Tax (VAT). Offerors shall identify the VAT as a separate line item. The VAT shall also be a separate cost item on all invoices. Any offer containing VAT must be supported with a VAT registration certificate form the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

DEFENSE BASE ACT (DBA) INSURANCE

DBA insurance is required for all United States citizens or residents and individuals hired in the United States, regardless of citizenship for any construction and services for U. S.

overseas contracts. Only the countries listed currently on the Department of Labor’s (DOL)

Active DBA Waivers are not required to have DBA insurance for Host Country Nationals

(HCNs) and Third Country Nationals (TCNs) working overseas. (See website for country waiver: https://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/dbawaivers/dbawaivers.htm).

Where DBA is applicable, the contractor will be required to provide evidence of insurance

(certification of coverage and a paid invoice) within 15 calendar days from the date of award.

The contractor will be reimbursed for DBA only to the extent the contractor provides documentary proof that DBA has been paid and only to the extent quoted in VOLUME I –

Pricing, (i) Prices.

The DBA Insurance shall be obtained from any U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) authorized

(HCNs)%20and%20Third%20Country%20Nationals%20(TCNs)%20working%20overseas.%20(See%20website%20for%20country%20waiver:%20https:/www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/ (HCNs)%20and%20Third%20Country%20Nationals%20(TCNs)%20working%20overseas.%20(See%20website%20for%20country%20waiver:%20https:/www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/ CatsamakiJ Highlight

DBA insurance broker. A list of DOL authorized insurance brokers is available at the following address: http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/lscarrier.htm. DBA insurance cost will be evaluated as part of the total evaluated firm fixed price and included in the firm-fixed price of the contract award.

China is listed on the DOL Active DBA Waiver list and therefore DBA Insurance for Host

Country Nationals (HCNs) and Third Country Nationals (TCNs) performing under this contract is not required. DBA Insurance for US citizens or residents and individuals hired in the United States performing under this contract is required.

WARRANTY

The Contractor shall provide a copy of standard warranty information unless indicated otherwise.

The warranty applies as of the date the items are received and accepted at the delivery location.

The price for warranty shall be included in the price for each item.

DELIVERY PLACE

Delivery shall be made F.O.B. destination in accordance with FAR 52.247-34, Beijing, China to the following address:

U.S. Embassy Beijing

Embassy Receiving Office

ATTN: Mr. Xing Yong (Receiving Supervisor)

55 Anjialou Rd., Chaoyang District

U.S. Embassy in China, Beijing

Beijing, 100600 China

DELIVERY SCHEDULE

All items (consolidated shipment) shall be delivered to the location set forth in Delivery Place above no later than sixty (60) calendar days from receipt of the contract and in accordance with the instructions you receive from the Point of Contacts (POCs) set forth in Coordination below.

The offeror shall state their proposed shipping mode under VOLUME I – Pricing, (i) Prices.

MARKING AND SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS

The cargo must be clearly marked with the requisition and purchase order number (to be advised on award). If applicable, the Contractor shall provide delivery information or certificates of http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/lscarrier.htm.

origin and shipping documents for the required goods being imported to the Point of Contact

(POC) (to be advised on award) in advance of delivery.

The contractor shall ensure that all items are prepared for safe shipment and include all necessary export approvals, required material data safety sheet, licenses, and paperwork. One copy of the packing list and commercial invoice must accompany the shipment, attached to the outside of the

“lead” or number one box/carton/package, or individually attached to the outside of each box/carton/package.

COORDINATION

The Contractor shall coordinate the delivery of the items with the following Points of Contact

(POCs): (to be advised on award).

CONDITION OF DELIVERED EQUIPMENT

Only new supplies are authorized, no grey market or refurbished products. All items must be in original packaging, never used, and not altered in any way.

SHIPPING COSTS

Shipping and delivery schedule of the items shall be made in accordance with the Delivery Place and Delivery Schedule of the solicitation. All shipping costs and shipping mode to U.S. Embassy

Beijing, China shall be included into the offer under VOLUME I – Pricing, (i) Prices. The

Contractor shall consolidate the entire shipment to prevent loss and misdirection. The Contractor upon notification shall replace any lost or damaged items during shipment.

INSPECTION & ACCEPTANCE

The final inspection and acceptance of ALL items shall be performed by the U.S. Government upon their arrival in the U.S. Embassy Beijing, China to determine the quality and acceptability.

Any substandard products and work shall be notified to contractor.

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment 1 – Representations and Certifications

Attachment 2 – Form W-14

Attachment 3 – Instructions for Form W-14

Attachment 4 – C-SCRM Questionnaire and C-SCRM Software Producer Attestation Form

Attachment 5 – Statement of Work / Technical Specifications

Attachment 6 – Event Scenarios at the BAC and LARC

Attachment 7 – Recommended Equipment List (based on an in-depth consultation in 2023)

Attachment 8 – Breakdown of Price Proposal for Proposed Equipment (Excel format)

APPLICABLE CLAUSES AND PROVISIONS

The full text of the referenced FAR and DOSAR clauses may be accessed electronically at https://www.acquisition.gov/content/regulations.

The selected Offeror must comply with the following commercial item terms and conditions, which are incorporated herein by reference:

Clause/Provision

FAR 52.212-1; FAR 52.212-2; FAR 52.212-3; FAR 52.212-4; FAR 52.204-7; FAR 52.204-13;

FAR 52.204-16; FAR 52.204-18; FAR52.228-3; FAR 52.228-4; FAR 52.247-34; DOSAR

652.225-71; DOSAR 652.229-70; DOSAR 652.229-71; DOSAR 652.242-73; DOSAR 652.243-

70; DOSAR 652.247-70; DOSAR 652.247-71.

FAR 52.212-5 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT

STATUTES OR EXECUTIVE ORDERS—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND

COMMERCIAL SERVICES (MAY 2024) - the applicable clauses under paragraph (b) are:

52.203-6 (Alt I); 52.203-17: 52.204-10; 52.204-27; 52.204-30; 52.209-6; 52.222-19; 52.222-50;

52.226-8;52.225-5; 52.225-13;52.229-12; 52.232-33 [U.S Based Company: 52.222-21; 52.222-

26; 52.222-36].

652.232-70 PAYMENT SCHEDULE AND INVOICE SUBMISSION (FIXED-PRICE)

As prescribed in 632.908(a), the contracting officer may insert a clause substantially the same as follows:

Payment Schedule and Invoice Submission (Fixed-Price) (AUG 1999)

(a) General. The Government shall pay the contractor as full compensation for all work required, performed and accepted under this contract, inclusive of all costs and expenses, the firm-fixed price stated in Section B of this contract.

https://www.acquisition.gov/content/regulations

[Use paragraph (b) only if partial payments apply. Otherwise, paragraph (a) above assumes the contractor will be paid in full amount upon completion of all contractual requirements.]

(b) Payment Schedule. Payments will be made in accordance with the following partial payment schedule:

PARTIAL

PAYMENT NO.

SPECIFIC

DELIVERABLE

DELIVERY DATE PAYMENT

AMOUNT

1 Site Survey, design/shop drawings submission

30 calendar days after contract award

TBD

2 Procurement and shipping of the approved new audiovisual system equipment to the U.S.

Embassy Beijing, China

60 calendar days after

Government’s approved design and equipment

TBD

3 Completion of audiovisual system equipment installation and training

30 calendar days TBD

4 Maintenance services during the one-year warranty after final acceptance

Quarterly TBD

[Continue as necessary]

(c) Invoice Submission. Invoices shall be submitted in an original and [contracting officer insert appropriate number of copies] to the office identified in Block 10 of the SF–26, Block 23 of the SF–33, or Block 18b of the SF–1449. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice must include all items per FAR 52.232–25, “Prompt Payment”.

(d) Contractor Remittance Address. Payment shall be made to the contractor's address as specified on the cover page of this contract, unless a separate remittance address is specified below:

(End of clause)

The following clauses and provision(s) are provided in full text:

FAR 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

(a) Protests, as defined in section 33.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that are filed directly with an agency, and copies of any protests that are filed with the Government

Accountability Office (GAO), shall be served on the Contracting Officer (addressed as follows) by obtaining written and dated acknowledgment of receipt from Regional Support Office, Giessener Strasse 30, 60435 Frankfurt, Germany.

(a) The copy of any protest shall be received in the office designated above within one day of filing a protest with the GAO.

(End of provision)

FAR 52.237-1 SITE VISIT (APR 1984)

Offerors or quoters are urged and expected to inspect the site where services are to be performed and to satisfy themselves regarding all general and local conditions that may affect the cost of contract performance, to the extent that the information is reasonably obtainable. In no event shall failure to inspect the site constitute grounds for a claim after contract award.

(End of provision)

DOSAR 652.206-70 ADVOCATE FOR COMPETITION/OMBUDSMAN (FEB 2015)

(a) The Department of State’s Advocate for Competition is responsible for assisting industry in removing restrictive requirements from Department of State solicitations and removing barriers to full and open competition and use of commercial items. If such a solicitation is considered competitively restrictive or does not appear properly conducive to competition and commercial practices, potential offerors are encouraged first to contact the contracting office for the solicitation. If concerns remain unresolved, contact:

1. For solicitations issued by the Office of Acquisition Management (A/LM/AQM) or a Regional Procurement Support Office, the A/LM/AQM Advocate for

Competition, at AQMCompetitionAdvocate@state.gov.

2. For all others, the Department of State Advocate for Competition at cat@state.gov.

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-33#FAR_33_101 mailto:AQMCompetitionAdvocate@state.gov mailto:cat@state.gov

(b) The Department of State’s Acquisition Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concerns from potential offerors and contractors during the pre-award and post-award phases of this acquisition. The role of the ombudsman is not to diminish the authority of the contracting officer, the Technical Evaluation Panel or Source Evaluation Board, or the selection official. The purpose of the ombudsman is to facilitate the communication of concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations of interested parties to the appropriate Government personnel, and work to resolve them. When requested and appropriate, the ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals, the source selection process, or the adjudication of formal contract disputes. Interested parties are invited to contact the contracting activity ombudsman, Sharon D.

James, at (571) 451 4912. For an American Embassy or overseas post, refer to the numbers below for the Department Acquisition Ombudsman. Concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations which cannot be resolved at a contracting activity level may be referred to the

Department of State Acquisition Ombudsman at (703) 516-1696 or write to: Department of

State, Acquisition Ombudsman, Office of the Procurement Executive (A/OPE), Suite 1060, SA-

15, Washington, DC 20520.

(End of provision)

Addendum to FAR 52.212-1 INSTRUCTION TO OFFERORS – COMMERCIAL

PRODUCT AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (SEP 2023)

Pursuant to FAR 12.302(d), the provision at FAR 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors -

Commercial Product and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) is augmented as follows:

Preparation of Offers - Offerors shall prepare and submit its offer in two (2) volumes as set forth below.

FAR 52.211-6 BRAND NAME OR EQUAL (AUG 1999)

(a) If an item in this solicitation is identified as "brand name or equal," the purchase description reflects the characteristics and level of quality that will satisfy the Government’s needs. The salient physical, functional, or performance characteristics that "equal" products must meet are specified in the solicitation.

(b) To be considered for award, offers of "equal" products, including "equal" products of the brand name manufacturer, must-

(1) Meet the salient physical, functional, or performance characteristic specified in this solicitation;

(2) Clearly identify the item by-

(i) Brand name, if any; and

(ii) Make or model number;

(3) Include descriptive literature such as illustrations, drawings, or a clear reference to previously furnished descriptive data or information available to the Contracting Officer; and

(4) Clearly describe any modifications the offeror plans to make in a product to make it conform to the solicitation requirements. Mark any descriptive material to clearly show the modifications.

(c) The Contracting Officer will evaluate "equal" products on the basis of information furnished by the offeror or identified in the offer and reasonably available to the Contracting Officer.

The Contracting Officer is not responsible for locating or obtaining any information not identified in the offer.

(d) Unless the offeror clearly indicates in its offer that the product being offered is an "equal" product, the offeror shall provide the brand name product referenced in the solicitation.

(End of provision)

SUBMISSION OF OFFERS

The complete offer submission shall include:

(1) Volume I – (i) Prices; (ii) Breakdown of Price Proposal of proposed equipment with costs

(Excel format); C-SCRM Questionnaire and C-SCRM Software Producer Attestation Form, Attachment 4, Representations and Certifications, Attachment 1, and, if applicable, a completed W-14 Form and Chinese VAT registration certificate.

(2) Volume II - Technical Capability – Preliminary design package, Descriptive literature, Maintenance Plan, Key Personnel, and Past Performance.

VOLUME I:

PRICING - The Offeror shall submit the following:

(i) Prices

A B C D E F

CLIN

Description Unit Quantity Unit Cost Total Cost

(DxE)

Site Survey and Submission of Design

Package - Beijing American Center

(BAC), U.S. Embassy PAS Beijing, China to include, but not limited to, detailed drawings, video display locations, wiring diagrams, a complete equipment list, rack elevations, LOT 1 equipment specification sheets, and project timeline.

002 Supply and Installation of approved

Audiovisual System Equipment

LOT 1

003 Operations Training LOT 1

004 Maintenance Services during

Warranty Period

Qtr. 4

005 Shipping/Delivery Charges FOB

Destination to U.S. Embassy Beijing, China

LOT 1

006 Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance, if applicable

LOT 1

007 Value Added Tax (VAT) LOT 1

TOTAL FIRM-FIXED PRICE –

CLINs 001 - 007

(ii) Breakdown of Price Proposal for all proposed equipment with prices (Microsoft

Excel format). For each equipment on the price breakdown the offeror shall state the

Place of Manufacture. Offers that do not include the Place of Manufacture shall be

“rejected”.

In addition, offeror shall complete and submit the following:

(iii) Completed Attachment 4 – C-SCRM Questionnaire and C-SCRM Software Producer Attestation Form

(iv) Completed Attachment 1 – Representations and Certifications (FAR 52.212-3, FAR

52.204-24 (if applicable), and FAR 52.229-11.

(v) Completed Attachment 2 – Form W-14 – if the Offeror has represented that it is not a

U.S. person and is eligible for exemption from the 2% excise tax.

(vi) Chinese VAT registration certificate - if the price offer under Volume 1 – Pricing (i)

Prices contains Value Added Tax (VAT). Offers that contain VAT without evidence of VAT registration in China shall be deemed unacceptable and will be excluded

(vii) from competition without further discussions.

VOLUME II:

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY

The proposed supply shall meet all of the minimum technical specifications and the delivery terms contained herein. In addition, the offeror shall provide:

(A) Preliminary Design Package to include, but not limited to:

1) Draft design drawings of an integrated audiovisual system

2) Proposed timeline and staffing for installation and training

(B) Descriptive Literature

(C) Maintenance Plan during the Warranty period: Provide a maintenance plan in accordance with paragraph (A)5. of the Statement of work.

(D) Key Personnel: The Government considers a Program Manager/Quality Manager, contractor’s personnel to be key personnel under the contract resulting from this solicitation. The offeror shall provide a detailed resume of the individual including their general and project-specific qualifications and experience. See paragraph (B)

Project Management and Supervision for minimum qualifications and experience requirements.

(E) Past Performance: The offeror shall provide a minimum of three contracts and/or subcontracts that they have held over the past two years to demonstrate their prior experience in relevant audiovisual system equipment supply and installation in the required category to companies, organizations and other Government entities, etc.

Any additional information, such as letters, associations and standards to substantiate the past performance shall be furnished by the offerors. The offerors shall provide the following information for each contract and/or subcontract and limited to no more than five (5) references:

(A) Customer's name, address, and telephone numbers

(B) Type(s) and category(ies) of systems;

(C) Contract number;

(D) Contract dollar value; and

(E) Any terminations (partial or complete) and the reason (convenience or default).

Note: In the case of an offeror without a record of relevant past performance or for whom information on past performance is not available or so sparse that no meaningful past performance rating can be reasonably assigned, the offeror may not be evaluated favorably or unfavorably on past performance. Therefore, the offeror shall be determined to have unknown past performance. In the context of acceptable/unacceptable, “unknown” shall be considered acceptable.

SUBMISSION OF QUESTIONS

Interested parties may submit any questions concerning the solicitation as soon as possible but not later than 15:00 hours Central European Time (CET) on Thursday, September 5, 2024 email to Joanna Catsamaki at CatsamakiJ@state.gov and FrankfurtRPSO@state.gov. The email subject line must read “Solicitation 19GE5024Q0057”.

Late questions may not be considered.

OFFER DUE DATE

Offers shall be submitted as soon as possible but not later than 16:00 hours Central European

Time (CET) on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, email to Joanna Catsamaki at

CatsamakiJ@state.gov and FrankfurtRPSO@state.gov. The email subject line must read

“Solicitation 19GE5024Q0057”.

Late submissions shall not be considered.

Applicable laws and regulations: Solicitation and award will be subject to laws and regulations of the United States of America.

ADDENDUM TO FAR 52.212-2 EVALUATION – COMMERCIAL ITEMS (NOV 2023)

The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible contractor whose quotation conforms to the solicitation and represents the best value to the

Government, price and other factors considered utilizing FAR 13 Comparative Evaluation.

This selection process will utilize FAR 13 procedures.

After preliminary consideration of all offers, the Department will no longer consider offers that do not meet basic standards to be eligible for award. The offers that remain will be subject to a comparative evaluation.

The preliminary evaluation process shall include the following:

COMPLIANCE REVIEW. The Government will perform an initial review of proposals/quotations received to determine completeness and compliance with the terms of the solicitation to include CYBERSECURITY SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT (C-

SCRM) Go/No-Go Evaluation Factor. The Government may reject as unacceptable proposals/quotations that do not conform to the solicitation. Offers must provide evidence that minimum technical requirements as expressed in the statement of work are met as a condition to entering into the comparative evaluation phase of the acquisition.

mailto:CatsamakiJ@state.gov mailto:FrankfurtRPSO@state.gov mailto:FrankfurtRPSO@state.gov

C-S CRM Go/No-Go Evaluation Factor

This factor is evaluated on a go/no-go basis. The Government will evaluate whether the submitted C-SCRM Questionnaire and C- SCRM Software Producer Attestation Form meet the definition for the “Go” or “No-Go” ratings for this factor. The “Go” and “No- Go” ratings and their definitions are as follows:

RATING RATING DEFINITION

GO The proposal meets the criteria in the following two (2) paragraphs.

The C-SCRM Questionnaire meets all of the following: (1) complies with the C-

SCRM

Questionnaire’s instructions; and (2) contains “Yes” answers for all questions in

Sections 2 and 3 of the questionnaire.

For vendors offering critical software, the C-SCRM Software Producer Attestation

Form is completed for each software producer and meets the following: (1) name of software producer is provided; (2) description of which product or products the statement refers to is provided; and (3) contains a statement attesting that the software products listed in

Item Number 1.3 of this form follow the Secure Software Development Framework

(SSDF) as identified in NIST SP 800-218.

NO-GO The proposal does not meet one (1) or more of the criteria in the following two (2) paragraphs.

The C-SCRM Questionnaire meets all the following: (1) complies with the C-SCRM

Questionnaire’s instructions; and (2) contains “Yes” answers for all questions in the C-

SCRM Questionnaire.

For vendors offering critical software, the C-SCRM Software Producer Attestation

Form is completed for each software producer and meets the following: (1) name of software producer is provided; (2) description of which product or products the statement refers to is provided; and (3) contains a statement attesting that the software products listed in Item Number 1.3 of this form follow the SSDF as identified in NIST

SP 800-218.

Comparative Evaluation

A comparative evaluation will be performed in accordance with FAR 13.106-2(b)(3). A comparative evaluation is defined as the act of comparing two or more offers in response to the RFQ. The item-by-item comparison is performed by comparing each offer to directly to one another to determine which provides the best value to the Department utilizing technical, past performance criteria and price as described below. This is NOT a low price technically acceptable or trade-off process. This solicitation neither requires nor prohibits the selection of the lowest priced acceptable offer.

Evaluation Criteria

Technical: Technical will be evaluated on the basis of a direct comparison to other offers to discern if there is any kind of technical quality superiority that would support an award to a higher priced offer. Technical discriminators by requirement may include:

MINIMUM TECHNICAL

REQUIREMENTS Non-Price/Quality Discriminators

Preliminary Design package Acceptability of proposed design plan/package

Audiovisual Equipment

Acceptability, Interoperability with existing infrastructure, flexibility, reliability, easily operated by non-specialist

Performance Schedule Agreement with the required performance period (150 calendar days)

Key Personnel Experience / Qualifications

Past Performance How well the Contractor has performed

Maintenance Plan Acceptability based on the SOW

Past Performance: Past performance will be evaluated on the basis of a direct comparison to other offers to discern if there is any significant past performance superiority that would support an award to a higher priced offer. Past performance as a discriminator may be appropriate where based on the offeror’s performance record, the Government has a high expectation that the offeror will successfully perform the required effort.

Price will be evaluated to ensure the proposed price is fair and reasonable. The price will be determined by multiplying the offered prices times the estimated quantities in “Prices -

Continuation of SF-1449, block 23”, and arriving at a grand total, including all options.

The Government reserves the right to reject proposals that are unreasonably high in price.

RESPONSIBILITY DETERMINATION. The Government will determine contractor responsibility by analyzing whether the apparent successful offeror complies with the requirements of FAR 9.1, including:

• Adequate financial resources or the ability to obtain them;

• Satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics;

• Necessary organization, experience, and skills or the ability to obtain them;

• Necessary equipment and facilities or the ability to obtain them; and

• Be otherwise qualified and eligible to receive an award under applicable laws and regulations.

FAR 52.214-34 SUBMISSION OF OFFERS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (APR 1991)

Offers submitted in response to this solicitation shall be in the English language. Offers received in other than English shall be rejected.

(End of Provision)

FAR 52.225-17 EVALUATION OF FOREIGN CURRENCY OFFERS (FEB 2000)

If the Government receives offers in more than one currency, the Government will evaluate offers by converting the foreign currency to United States currency using the U.S. Department of

State foreign currency exchange rate in effect as follows:

(1) On the date specified for receipt of offers if award is based on initial offers; otherwise

(2) On the date specified for receipt of proposal revisions.

(End of provision)

{END OF SOLICITATION}

ATTACHMENT 1: REPRESENTATIONS & CERTIFICATIONS

52.212-3 OFFEROR REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS—COMMERCIAL

PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (MAY 2024)

The Offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically in the System for Award Management

(SAM) accessed through https://www.sam.gov. If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (v) of this provision.

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision—

Covered telecommunications equipment or services has the meaning provided in the clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video

Surveillance Services or Equipment.

Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concern means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by, and the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by, one or more women who are citizens of the United States and who are economically disadvantaged in accordance with 13

CFR part 127, and the concern is certified by SBA or an approved third-party certifier in accordance with 13 CFR 127.300. It automatically qualifies as a women-owned small business eligible under the WOSB Program.

Forced or indentured child labor means all work or service—

(1) Exacted from any person under the age of 18 under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily; or

(2) Performed by any person under the age of 18 pursuant to a contract the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or penalties.

Highest-level owner means the entity that owns or controls an immediate owner of the offeror, or that owns or controls one or more entities that control an immediate owner of the offeror. No entity owns or exercises control of the highest level owner.

Immediate owner means an entity, other than the offeror, that has direct control of the offeror.

Indicators of control include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: ownership or interlocking management, identity of interests among family members, shared facilities and equipment, and the common use of employees.

Inverted domestic corporation, means a foreign incorporated entity that meets the definition of an inverted domestic corporation under 6 U.S.C. 395(b), applied in accordance with the rules and definitions of 6 U.S.C. 395(c).

https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_204_25 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/part-127 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/part-127 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-127.300 http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title6-section395&num=0&edition=prelim http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title6-section395&num=0&edition=prelim

Manufactured end product means any end product in product and service codes (PSCs) 1000-

9999, except—

(1) PSC 5510, Lumber and Related Basic Wood Materials;

(2) Product or Service Group (PSG) 87, Agricultural Supplies;

(3) PSG 88, Live Animals;

(4) PSG 89, Subsistence;

(5) PSC 9410, Crude Grades of Plant Materials;

(6) PSC 9430, Miscellaneous Crude Animal Products, Inedible;

(7) PSC 9440, Miscellaneous Crude Agricultural and Forestry Products;

(8) PSC 9610, Ores;

(9) PSC 9620, Minerals, Natural and Synthetic; and

(10) PSC 9630, Additive Metal Materials.

Place of manufacture means the place where an end product is assembled out of components, or otherwise made or processed from raw materials into the finished product that is to be provided to the Government. If a product is disassembled and reassembled, the place of reassembly is not the place of manufacture.

Predecessor means an entity that is replaced by a successor and includes any predecessors of the predecessor.

Reasonable inquiry has the meaning provided in the clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

Restricted business operations means business operations in Sudan that include power production activities, mineral extraction activities, oil-related activities, or the production of military equipment, as those terms are defined in the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-174). Restricted business operations do not include business operations that the person (as that term is defined in Section 2 of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007) conducting the business can demonstrate—

(1) Are conducted under contract directly and exclusively with the regional government of southern Sudan;

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_204_25

(2) Are conducted pursuant to specific authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the Department of the Treasury, or are expressly exempted under Federal law from the requirement to be conducted under such authorization;

(3) Consist of providing goods or services to marginalized populations of Sudan;

(4) Consist of providing goods or services to an internationally recognized peacekeeping force or humanitarian organization;

(5) Consist of providing goods or services that are used only to promote health or education; or

(6) Have been voluntarily suspended."Sensitive technology"—

Sensitive technology—

(1) Means hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, or any other technology that is to be used specifically—

(i) To restrict the free flow of unbiased information in Iran; or

(ii) To disrupt, monitor, or otherwise restrict speech of the people of Iran; and

(2) Does not include information or informational materials the export of which the President does not have the authority to regulate or prohibit pursuant to section 203(b)(3)of the

International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(3)).

Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) concern means a small business concern—

(1)

(i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans; and

(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran; or

(2) A small business concern eligible under the SDVOSB Program in accordance with 13 CFR part 128 (see subpart 19.14).

(3) Service-disabled veteran, as used in this definition, means a veteran as defined in 38 U.S.C.

101(2), with a disability that is service connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16), and who is registered in the Beneficiary Identification and Records Locator Subsystem, or successor system https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-19#FAR_Subpart_19_14 http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title38-section101&num=0&edition=prelim http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title38-section101&num=0&edition=prelim http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title38-section101&num=0&edition=prelim that is maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Benefits Administration, as a service-disabled veteran.

Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) concern eligible under the SDVOSB

Program means an SDVOSB concern that—

(1) Effective January 1, 2024, is designated in the System for Award Management (SAM) as certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in accordance with 13 CFR 128.300; or

(2) Has represented that it is an SDVOSB concern in SAM and submitted a complete application for certification to SBA on or before December 31, 2023.

Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) Program means a program that authorizes contracting officers to limit competition, including award on a sole-source basis, to

SDVOSB concerns eligible under the SDVOSB Program.

Small business concern—

(1) Means a concern, including its affiliates, that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in its field of operation, and qualified as a small business under the criteria in 13 CFR part 121 and size standards in this solicitation.

(2) Affiliates, as used in this definition, means business concerns, one of whom directly or indirectly controls or has the power to control the others, or a third party or parties control or have the power to control the others. In determining whether affiliation exists, consideration is given to all appropriate factors including common ownership, common management, and contractual relationships. SBA determines affiliation based on the factors set forth at 13 CFR

121.103.

Small disadvantaged business concern, consistent with 13 CFR 124.1001, means a small business concern under the size standard applicable to the acquisition, that—

(1) Is at least 51 percent unconditionally and directly owned (as defined at 13 CFR 124.105) by—

(i) One or more socially disadvantaged (as defined at13 CFR 124.103) and economically disadvantaged (as defined at 13 CFR 124.104) individuals who are citizens of the United States;

and

(ii) Each individual claiming economic disadvantage has a net worth not exceeding the threshold at 13 CFR 124.104(c)(2) after taking into account the applicable exclusions set forth at 13

CFR124.104(c)(2); and https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/part-121 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/part-121

(2) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled (as defined at 13.CFR

124.106) by individuals, who meet the criteria in paragraphs (1)(i) and (ii) of this definition.

Subsidiary means an entity in which more than 50 percent of the entity is owned—

(1) Directly by a parent corporation; or

(2) Through another subsidiary of a parent corporation

Successor means an entity that has replaced a predecessor by acquiring the assets and carrying out the affairs of the predecessor under a new name (often through acquisition or merger). The term "successor" does not include new offices/divisions of the same company or a company that only changes its name. The extent of the responsibility of the successor for the liabilities of the predecessor may vary, depending on State law and specific circumstances.

Veteran-owned small business concern means a small business concern—

(1) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned and controlled by one or more veterans (as defined at 38 U.S.C. 101(2)) or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more veterans; and

(2) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more veterans.

Women-owned business concern means a concern which is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women; or in the case of any publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of its stock is owned by one or more women; and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more women

Women-owned small business concern means a small business concern—

(1) That is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women; or, in the case of any publicly owned business, at least51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more women; and

(2) Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more women.

Women-owned small business (WOSB) concern eligible under the WOSB Program (in accordance with 13 CFR part 127), means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by, and the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by, one or more women who are citizens of the United States, and the concern is certified by SBA or an approved third-party certifier in accordance with 13 CFR

127.300.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/part-127 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-127.300 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-127.300

(b)

(1) Annual Representations and Certifications. Any changes provided by the Offeror in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision do not automatically change the representations and certifications in SAM.

(2) The offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically in SAM accessed through http://www.sam.gov. After reviewing SAM information, the Offeror verifies by submission of this offer that the representations and certifications currently posted electronically at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial

Products and Commercial Services, have been entered or updated in the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard(s) applicable to the NAICS code(s) referenced for this solicitation), at the time this offer is submitted and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR 4.1201), except for paragraphs __.

[Offeror to identify the applicable paragraphs at (c) through (v) of this provision that the offeror has completed for the purposes of this solicitation only, if any.

These amended representation(s) and/or certification(s) are also incorporated in this offer and are current, accurate, and complete as of the date of this offer.

Any changes provided by the offeror are applicable to this solicitation only, and do not result in an update to the representations and certifications posted electronically on SAM.]

(c) Offerors must complete the following representations when the resulting contract is for supplies to be delivered or services to be performed in the United States or its outlying areas, or when the contracting officer has applied part 19 in accordance with 19.000(b)(1)(ii). Check all that apply.

(1) Small business concern. The offeror represents as part of its offer that—

(i) It □ is, □ is not a small business concern; or

(ii) It □ is, □ is not a small business joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR

121.103(h) and 13 CFR 125.8(a) and (b). [ The offeror shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: ____________.]

(2) Veteran-owned small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents as part of its offer that it □ is, □ is not a veteran-owned small business concern.

http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_212_3 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-4#FAR_4_1201 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-19#FAR_Part_19 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-19#FAR_19_000 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-121.103#p-121.103(h) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-121.103#p-121.103(h) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-125.8#p-125.8(a) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-125.8#p-125.8(b)

(3) SDVOSB concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a veteran-owned small business concern in paragraph (c)(2) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it □ is, □ is not an SDVOSB concern.

(4) SDVOSB concern joint venture eligible under the SDVOSB Program. The offeror represents that it □ is, □ is not an SDVOSB joint venture eligible under the SDVOSB Program that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 128.402. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as an SDVOSB concern in paragraph (c)(3) of this provision.] [The offeror shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: ____________.]

(5) Small disadvantaged business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it □ is, □ is not a small disadvantaged business concern as defined in 13 CFR 124.1001.

(6) Women-owned small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it □ is, □ is not a women-owned small business concern.

(7)…